Quick-acting bench vise



Patented Apr. 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATEN'rer THEOPHILUS BILLINGTO'N, OF CLEABWATER, FLORIDA.

QUICK-ACTING BENCH VISE.

Application filed January 8, 1923. Serial No. 611,380.

A the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in bench vises provided with means for aut0- matically releasing the clamping screw when it is turned retrogradely to a predetermined extent. Vises of this character are commonly provided with a pair of threaded members engaging opposite sides of the screw when the latter is in operation, it be ing one object of the present invention to provide means for releasing one of said members from the screw when the latter is turned retrogradely and to provide addltional means whereby said one member releases the other member, thus effecting a marked simplification over similar Vises heretofore employed. V

A further object ofthe invention is to provide novel means whereby the screw may be retrogradely turned to an unusual extent before it is released, which is very desirable when the work has been very tightly clamped.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description being supplemented by the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bench vise constructed in accordance with my invention,

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view,

Figures 3, 1 and 5 are vertical transverse sectional views as indicated by the line 35 of Fig. 1, showing difierent positions of parts, and

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail horizontal section showing the manner in which the threads are undercut.

In the drawings above briefly described, the numeral 1 designates an arched support adapted to be secured to the under side of a bench, said support being provided with a fixed jaw 2 for contact with the edge of the bench. The depending arms 3 of the arched support 1 are provided with openings slidably receiving a pair of guide rods 1 and an operating screw 5 for a movable jaw 6.

The lower side of the arched support 1 is provided with suitable lugs 7 to which a pair of arms 8 and 9 are pivoted as indicated at 10, said arms extending to opposite sides of the screw 5 and being formed with concave inner sides having screw threads 11 to engage the threads of said screw.

The arm 8 isprovided with an appropriate spring 12 which may well act against a lug 13 thereon for the purpose of moving said arm into engagement with the screw 5 and I provide the two arms 8 and 9 with coacting lugs 14: at their upper pivoted ends, whereby movement of the lug 8 underthe influence of the spring 12 will similarly move the arm 9 and whereby positive release of this arm 9 by means yet to be described, will also release the arm 8.

In the present showing, the arm 9 is provided with an appropriate recess 15 in which a dog carrier 16 is received, this carrier be ing pivotally mounted at its upper end as indicated at 17, while its lower end carries a pivoted dog 18, this dog being provided with a spring 19 for moving its free end into either of a pair of longitudinal grooves 20 in the screw 5, when said screw is retrogradely turned. As soon as the dog 18 engages one of the grooves 20, said dog is in tangential relation with the screw and further retrograde motion of the latter,

will cause said dog to swing the carrier 16 outwardly upon its pivot 17, as shown in Fig. 4. The amount of this outward swing however is limited by a stop 21 which projects from the upper end of the dog carrying arm 16, said stop being co -operable with an adjacent portion of the arm 9. 1 By the time this relation of parts takes place, the dog 18 has not been moved to the maximum by the screw "5, the result being that further retrograde movement of this screw will bodily swing the arm 9 and the carrying arm 16 as a single unit, thereby disengaging the threadsof said arm 9 from the screw 5 and causing the co-operating lugs 14: to similarly move the arm 8 outwardly to an inoperative position, permitting sliding of the screw to quickly. open the vise.

When the arm 9 is swung outwardly to its greatest extent, a stop 22 on its upper end preferably strikes an abutment 23 on the lower side of the support 1 as shown in Fig. 5. Concurrently with this, the dog 18 may well strike a stop shoulder 24- as also shown in Fig. 5.

It will be seen that after release of the device by means. of my invention, the jaw 6 may he slid either outwardly or inwardly as desired. hen this jaw is once engaged with another piece of work, turning of the screw 5 in the proper direction will release the dog 18 from the position shown in Fig. 5 and will permit the spring 12 to function to again mesh the screw threads 11 of the arms 8 and 9 with the screw 5. Thus, these arms act effectively as a nut, permitting tightening of the screw to rigidly clamp the work.

In order to prevent the possibility of the arms '8 and 9 accidentally becoming disengaged from the screw 5, when under strain, I prefer to undercut the co-acting faces of the screw threads on said arms and screw, as indicated by the character 25 in Fig. 6. o It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided a simple and inexpensive, yet a highly eflicient and desirable vise. Attention may here be directed further to the fact that release of the arm 9 simultaneously releases the arm 8 through the instrumentality of the lugs 14. Attention is also directed to the fact that the screw may turn retrogradely to a sufiicient extent to release strain thereon, before outward movement of the arms 8 and 9 begins, thus permitting the vise to be more advantageously operated than would otherwise be possible.

As excellent results may be obtained from the details disclosed, these details may well be followed. However, within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous minor changes may be made.

I claim:

1. A clamping mechanism comprising a screw, a pair of pivoted threaded members engaging opposite sides of said screw, means operated by retrograde movementof said screw for moving one of said members out of engagement with the screw, and means for transmitting the movement of said one member to the other.

2. A clamping mechanism comprising a screw, a'p air of pivoted threaded members engaging opposite sides of said screw means operated by retrograde. movement or said screw for moving one of said members out of engagement with the screw, and projecting lugs on the pivoted ends of said members contacting with each other for transmitting the movement of said one memher to the other.

3. A clamping mechanism comprising a support and a screw spaced therefrom, said screw having a longitudinal groove, a pair of arms pivoted to said support and extending therefrom to opposite sides of said screw, said arms having threads engaging said screw, a dog mounted on one of said arms and engageable with said groove of said screw upon retrograde movement of the latter, whereby to disengage this arm from the screw, and lugs on the pivoted ends of the two arms for effecting movement of one from the other.

a. A clamping device comprising a screw having a longitudinal groove, a movably mounted threaded member engaged with one side of said screw, a dog carrier having limited movement on said threaded member, and a dog pivoted to said carrier for engagement with said groove of the screw when the latter is turned retrogradely, said dog being operable to first move said carrier to its limit on said threaded member and to then bodily move. said carrier and member to disengage the latter from the screw.

5. A clamping device comprising a screw having a longitudinal groove, a movably mounted threaded member engaged with one side of said screw, a dog carrying arm pivoted on said threaded member for movement toward and from said screw, a dog pivoted on said arm and engageable with said groove when the screw is turned retrogradely whereby to swing said arm outwardly on its pivot, and means for establishing a rigid connection between said carrying arm and said threaded member before the dog has reached the limit of its movement, causin said dog to bodily move said arm and sai threaded member to disengage the latter from the screw.

6. A clamping mechanism comprising a screw, a. threaded member engaged therewith, a. dog engageable with said screw upon retrograde movement thereof to be moved by further retrograde -movement of the screw, and means set for operation by the initial movement of the dog and operable by further movement of said dog for releasing said threaded member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

THEOPHILUS BILLINGTON. 

